Wednesday, 16 April 2014

.....by Rory Stewart.
I love traveling and I have been on same beautiful adventures in amazing countries.
It enriches me but while traveling I often wonder what Im doing, and why. An scruffy
room in an hotel in a filthy Indonesian city. I checked all the walls for
peepholes. Did not find any but felt very uncomfortable anyway.
Or the time when I accepted a ride in a Costa Rican pickup. Driving into a tiny town
where nothing happened and I ended up in the hotel of permanently drunk Vietnam
Veteran. The next day I met an american woman who offered me her couch as soon as she
heard I was staying with the Ol'Drunk. I was reluctant to accept; she was covered from head to toe in a tiger print tattoo. And she scared me just as much as the drunk.
Or the old lady in a tiny village in Bangladesh. We were invited in for tea and she
told us about her life; and showed us old pictures. While going through the pages of
the book she got all emotional and tears welled up in her eyes. "It is all the
memories" she said. Her husband had passed and so did one of her sons. The room was
painted pink and I just sat on that couch. Staring at the tacky interior and feeling
both uncomfortable and terribly happy.
I just finished reading 'The places in between' by Rory Stewart, a scottsman who
walked across Afghanistan in the midst of winter. He is the opposite of me; although
he walks he travels fast. A cup of tea here and there but he is determined to keep
on walking and is not distracted by kindness or a warm home. That is the more
admirable if you know the circumstances: snow, cold, rain, rivers to cross on foot, hardly any food.
And he is totally dependent on locals for food, tea and shelter. He literally knocks
on peoples houses for a bed and a bit of rice. Sometimes it is just tea and sugar,
sometimes his host prepare elaborate meals for their guests. Oh man! I don't know
whether to admire his travel or to dislike it. People with next to nothing light the
fire for him and feed him. And he's happy for it but also expects this kind of
kindness because he is a guest.
He's rude to people when necessary, even has to fight for his safety. But after
finishing the book i had a bit of an aftertaste. The kind people are so eager to
tell him about their lives, their history, their war stories. For me that is what
traveling is about: to talk to people. Learn and experience from the lives of
others. It is not about the distance I travel or mark off highlights of my list. It
is probably to keep some speed in the book; but I cringed sometimes and wished he
had stayed put on that floor, and listen some more. But that is just the way I like to travel I suppose.(The drawing is the afghan polo)

Friday, 11 April 2014

Since the blogdate with other bloggers (organized by 101 woonideeën)I have been thinking about my bloglife a lot. What do I want to tell? How personal is my blog? Which blogs do I really like and why? I would like to bring across a positive, happy outlook on life but life isn't always happy and positive. And the blogs who show me their picture perfect life.... I find it tiresome sometimes. Isnt life also a little grey sometimes? (bringing old newspapers to the recycle bin in the rain. AGAIN!)

Lasst week was a rather strange week for me; cold one day, beautiful spring day the next. Then my uncle died and that was so sad. But it also gave me appreciation for the blue skies, the soft warm wind and the chatter of the birds. The location of the funeral (in the woods, all legal) was so beautiful that I almost forgot how sad it was. Or maybe it wasn't sad. Maybe we celebrated his life, his love for his family. Life is full of ups and downs. Life is not picture perfect. And some blogs intimidate me with their beautiful interiors, the tasty homemade cakes and the flowers that are never a day too old.

My day ended with my favorite two year old kissing me on the cheek and begging me to stay at their house. I got on my bike and cycled through the city, got home and slept. Life is beautiful, with all its imperfections.

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About me

Marike (1975) drives an Opel Kadett (1979) likes horses, trees, pencils.
Hope this weblog inspires you. That it will make you slow down for a few minutes. So you have time to look at trees and listen to birds And I hope you will visit my blog again.
Please do not copy or reproduce the images/ pictures from this website without my permission. Thank you!
info [at]stadsgiraffe
http://www.stadsgiraffe.nl